ROCKVILLE, November 5  Freshman Jamarl Glen scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half Saturday night as Chesapeake College opened its men´s basketball season by rallying past Montgomery College/Rockville, 105-82.

"Jamarl was our most consistent player in the preseason and he had another great effort against Rockville," said Chesapeake head coach Dale Becraft, whose Skipjacks let a 15-point, first-half lead slip away before coming from behind to notch an impressive road victory.

Freshman point guard Rob Lowery had 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals and only one turnover in his Chesapeake College debut. Teammates Jimmy Mosser (17 points) and Chris Brown (16 points) also scored in double figures in their Skipjack debuts, and freshman reserve Mike Nichols provided seven points, seven rebounds and five steals.

"Mike gave us a real big lift off the bench," said Becraft of Nichols, a 26-year-old service veteran who went to North Caroline High School.

Becraft also praised Lowery´s playmaking.

"That (one turnover) is outstanding for a point guard in an up-tempo offense," said Becraft.

The Skipjacks dominated the first half, taking a 54-45 lead into intermission, but the Knights came out with a second-half rally to gain a brief, two-point advantage. Becraft´s young team responded to the challenge, using its pressure defense to force 31 Rockville turnovers while holding their hosts to 37 second-half points to pull out the win.

Becraft said he wasn´t pleased with how his team kicked away its early, 15-point advantage, but was impressed with how his players responded to Rockville´s rally.

"We still have a tendency to lose focus at times and that can kill you in this league, but we played through it and we played hard," said Becraft, whose team took 90 shots while holding Rockville to fewer than 60.

"I think that (the shot disparity) was a direct result of our pressure defense and forcing all those turnovers," said Becraft.

Rockville has historically fielded a very competitive team, and the Skipjacks have had little recent success playing at Rockville, which made Saturday night´s win all the more impressive to Becraft.

"This is a tough place to play," said Becraft. "Rockville always has a nice club and this year they´ve got a very athletic team. To open on the road against a program like Rockville´s and to come home with a win is a big step for our freshmen."

The Skipjacks host Harford Community College Thursday night at 7 p.m. in their home opener.